DCA history · Gold
Gold DCA since 2016: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into Gold since 1 January 2016 (130 buys, $13,000 in total) would be worth $30,473 today (+134.41%).
Backtest 1 January 2016 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$30,473
+134.41% · +14.97%/yr
- Invested
- $13,000.00
- Buys
- 130
- Average cost
- $1,733.61
Lump sum, day one
Winner$49,791
+283.01%
- Invested
- $13,000.00
- Bought at
- $1,061.00
- Max drawdown
- 25.06%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$49,791
+283.01%
- Bought on
- 1 Jan 2016
- At a price of
- $1,061.00
- Not a plan you could follow
How it would have felt
Over this period the plan was worth less than the money you’d put in on 7.8% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 176 days (to 19 Dec 2018). The worst moment was 15 Dec 2016, when it was down 8.9% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 20 Dec 2018. The average cost per unit was $1,733.61 against a price today of $4,063.70 (+134.41%). The cheapest buy was $1,061.00 on 1 Jan 2016 and the priciest $5,230.50 on 1 Mar 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2016 | $1,200 | $1,115 | -7.09% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $2,400 | $2,510 | +4.60% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $3,600 | $3,686 | +2.39% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $4,800 | $5,696 | +18.67% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $6,000 | $8,406 | +40.11% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $7,200 | $9,334 | +29.64% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $8,400 | $10,510 | +25.12% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $9,600 | $13,192 | +37.42% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $10,800 | $18,165 | +68.19% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $12,000 | $31,466 | +162.22% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $13,000 | $30,473 | +134.41% |
Try a different start
Monthly $100 into Gold, by start year:
Does the start year really matter? Best and worst time to start DCA or DCA vs lump sum, tested on every start month.
Frequently asked questions
- How much would $100 every month in Gold since 2016 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into Gold since 1 January 2016 (130 buys, $13,000 in total) would be worth $30,473 today (+134.41%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for Gold since 2016?
- Investing the same $13,000 in one go on 1 January 2016 would be worth $49,791 today (+283.01%), so putting it all in on day one came out ahead over this particular period. Which wins depends heavily on the start date.
- How long was Gold DCA underwater since 2016?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 7.8% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 176 days (ending 19 Dec 2018).